THE VENNER CRIME QI
sisted that I'd better make a will, Damn him! I can
see his little game now clear enough. So I left everything
to the girl, Christine's her name. If my fool of a nephew
can't make enough out of his own tuppeny halfpenny
business, that's his own look-out/ There were a lot of
swear words sandwiched in between, sir, but that was
nothing out of the way for Mr. Hinchliffe.
" I wondered what all this was leading to, but it
took Mr. Hinchliffe a long time to get to the point.
And then he told me that his lawyer was making love
to his niece. I won't repeat the things he said about
the gentleman, whose name I've forgotten. ' He's after
my money, that's what it is!' he shouted, till I was
afraid the whole hotel would hear him. ' Why, the old
scoundrel is old enough to be her grandfather. If she's
fool enough to marry him, she can. I'll give her away
at the wedding, if she wants me to. I'd enjoy the joke,
by heaven, I would! But that old skunk shan't have
my money, I'll see to that!f
" It seems that this is what Mr. Venner had come to
tell him. ' I wouldn't have believed him, except that
he's too great a fool to make up a yarn like that for him-
self. And he brought me a couple of letters he'd
written to her. Stole them from her bag or wherever
women keep their things, I suppose. Just the sort
of dirty trick he would play. However, that's none of
my business. He was all Uncle Denis this and Uncle
Denis that. Couldn't I use my influence to prevent his
dear Christine throwing herself away upon an old man
with one foot in the grave? Influence! I knew some-
thing a damned sight more effective than that. *
" I got him up to bed at last, still cursing about his
nephew and niece. I hoped that I shouldn't have to hear
any more of it, but next day after lunch, he sent for
me up to his room. He seemed in a very good humour
then. ' I've fixed it, Millington,' he cried. * I've made